India earned their spot in the final of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Qualifiers 2026 in Hyderabad with a 1-0 win over Italy in their semi-final match at Hyderabad’s GMC Balayogi Hockey Ground on Friday.
Manisha Chauhan (40′) scored the winning goal for the Indian women’s hockey team, who will now face England in the final on Saturday.
It was a tight start to the match as world No. 9 India and Italy, 19th in the hockey rankings, battled for midfield possession. However, Italy created a few good chances on goal as the first quarter progressed.
India won the momentum back in the second quarter. In the 18th minute, the hosts won the first penalty corner but Navneet Kaur’s shot on goal was stopped by Italian goalkeeper Lucia Ines Caruso.
In the 27th minute, India were awarded another penalty corner. The ball was played back to the injector, captain Salima Tete, but her shot was stopped on the line by Italy’s last defender. In the 29th minute, India had another opportunity to score through a penalty corner but Navneet Kaur’s shot went off target.
In the early minutes of the second half, Italy launched a strong attack on goal but India’s goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam made a crucial save.
In the 40th minute, India were awarded yet another penalty corner and this time they successfully converted it to break the deadlock.
Manisha Chauhan delivered a powerful dragflick down the middle that pierced through the Italian defence and found the net.
India won two early penalty corners in the final quarter as they pushed to increase their advantage. However, Italy remained resilient in their defence.
Italy threw the kitchen sink in the final minutes and won a penalty corner in the 59th minute. However, India managed to deny them the equaliser and emerged victorious.
The Hyderabad meet is one of two qualifying tournaments for the Women’s Hockey World Cup, alongside another event in Santiago, Chile. Eight teams competed in each tournament.
India have already confirmed their berth in the upcoming Women’s Hockey World Cup after qualifying for the semi-finals in Hyderabad.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/fih-hockey-women-world-cup-2026-qualifiers-india-vs-italy-semi-final-results
